Understanding EMR - ElectroMagnetic Radiation

During the past 100 years of our history, we have developed the force of electricity to an amazing level of sophistication and, it is clear, that this is only the beginning of what is still to come.  As we have enthusiastically embraced this convenient force, electricity is today applied to almost all aspects of our lives, be it for heating, cooking, lighting, tools, machines, toys, computers, communication, therapy, etc.  Modern civilisation would not be possible without it.

However, during the past years the evidence has grown that a price is being paid, and I am not talking about greenhouse emissions, smog, nuclear waste or accidents.  There are current health costs and increasing risks of greater future health costs associated with our unwitting exposure to Electro Magnetic Radiation.

In this article, I intend to focus on the electric and magnetic fields due to low frequency (50 Hz) main's power.  Together with High Frequency radiation and pulsed radiation signals (radio, TV, mobile phones, etc.), they are often referred to as electro pollution.  It is increasingly obvious that they cause or contribute to a wide range of symptoms in living organisms.   Even though electricity has become an essential part of our modern energy environment, it really does need to be considered very carefully, so we can make use of its benefits without suffering harmful side effects.

Considerable research has been done during the past years by scientists all over the world, and it is often quite simple to reduce the impact of electric and magnetic forces on the subtle energy systems of our human bodies - and that of other living beings.

 Background information

Natural electric and magnetic fields and waves have always been part of the human evolution.   They consist of a wide spectrum, from static fields to low and high frequency fields, visible light to radioactive rays.  Most of the electric and magnetic fields cannot be felt, such as the magnetic field of our planet Earth, the ionisation of the air, the radioactivity of the Earth and the Cosmos, and X rays and UV rays from the Sun.  Only a tiny part of the huge electromagnetic spectrum can be perceived directly by our senses, that is warmth and light.

Electric and magnetic fields, whether we feel them or not, regulate our life functions.  Without natural electromagnetic stimulation, no heart would beat, no brain would think, no eye would see, no muscle would move, no metabolism (no enzymes) would exist.  Every cell performs more 10s of 1,000s (tens of thousands) of biophysical operations per second, all involving electron exchanges!

In our modern automated and highly electrified society, however, a large amount of artificial electric energies are present.  They interfere with the delicate natural balance and our bodily systems find it increasingly stressful to maintain their health and integrity.

Every body, every organ, muscle, nerve and cell is an antenna for electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and frequencies.  Every human is individual and reacts in an individual way, depending on the resonance, frequency and strength of the impact and the susceptibility to other pollutants.  Generally, a nerve ending can be stimulated (e.g. to make a muscle twitch) with only 20 Millivolt in an instant of time.  What happens to an organism or a human being, which is exposed to thousands of Millivolts for hours, days, weeks, a lifetime?

Enzymatic processes are governed by far smaller voltages and scientists are just beginning to develop instruments delicate enough to gain an understanding of these essential life functions.

  Technical Characteristics

Electric  Fields  (EF)

Electric fields are measured in volts per meter (V/m).  They are present as long as the appliance or the wiring is connected to the electrical power supply, even if no current is flowing and the device is switched off.

EFs can be shielded by grounded conductive screens, mats, tubes, special paints, etc.  They tend to be reduced by walls and decrease by the inverse of the square of the distance.  Depending on whether our body, at a given time, is more insulating or conducting, these fields may be deflected or shielded.  Potentially, the body can 'charge up' to collect considerable voltage.

Problems may arise from -

• presence of electric and electronic devices and appliances

• wires and cables close to our bodies

• faulty building wiring or defective earthing of building wiring

• ungrounded fixtures nearby.

It has been found that people are affected by differing 'frequency windows', which may be above or below 50 Hz.

The recommended maximum exposure for EF's at the sleeping place should not exceed 1 V/m.  Ideally, it should be zero.  Long term exposure to levels up to 50 V/m cannot be considered safe.  This is supported by Swedish objectives.  International standards, however, recommend a limit of 5,000 V/m  (WHO, IRPA).  The vast difference in those values indicates the lack of well founded, reliable research and the need to establish facts on which we can rely for creating a healthy living environment.

It has often been pointed out that the safety values are arbitrarily proposed by industry advising the governments and these often become accepted standards.  One example for this is the tenfold increase of the threshold for microwave radiation, coinciding with the introduction of mobile phones.  This is all quite bizzare, especially when it comes to ignoring some health issues and the need for adoption of the precautionary principle.

The following measures relate to both living environment and appliance use.

1. Apart from shielding, the wiring can be moved, especially from the vicinity of sleeping places.

2. Wiring can be changed, so as not to envelope the person.

3. A Demand Switch can be installed, which disconnects the phase at the fuse box. This eliminates all fields from internal sources during the night or whenever no user demands a current to flow.

4. Rewiring ungrounded appliances so they become earthed will reduce the fields significantly.

5. Unplug appliances when not in use.

6. Use three wire appliances, whenever possible.

7. Keep away from electrical appliances, at least arm's length.

8. Switch off fuse of bedroom circuits at night.

9. Avoid halogen lighting, as it necessitates the use of transformers, which are strong emitters of magnetic radiation.

10. Avoid using electric blankets or water beds.

11. Do not sleep close to fuse boxes.
    

12. Utilise the new generation Biopro EMF Harmonisation chips on every appliance and plug in the Biopro Home / Office Harmoniser to neutralise the wiring field.  These are readily adopted, practical and inexpensive products to avoid the harmful influence of EMFs on your body.

Magnetic  Fields

Magnetic Fields are measured in Nanotesla (nT) or Gauss (G).  They can be found wherever a current is flowing, i.e. whenever an appliance is switched on.  The measured levels therefore depend on the amount of use at the time and may vary over 50%, depending on the time of day.

These fields cannot be shielded, as they penetrate even thick concrete and lead.  Main pollutants often come from the power supply and electric cables in floors, walls and ceilings or from various switches, points, transformers and appliances.

Of particular interest is the 1998 Swedish study, involving 436,000 people.  The Swedish government in cooperation with their electric power utility completed a 25 year study cross linking cancer data with utility records.

This study concluded that -

A level of 100nT can be found in many homes.  High tension power lines can add even more to this exposure.

An EEG (brain waves) shows irritations from 70 nT, an EKG (heart) from 140 nT, a train trip however can expose us to up to 40,000 nT.  For optimium safety, the Building Biological limit for sleeping places is 20 nT.

Keeping away from magnetic fields is difficult because they can only be deflected by very expensive MU metal.  However, the field strength declines fast, and it is possible to install the wiring so it reduces fields and keeps them away from people.

Of all electro-pollutants, these magnetic fields have drawn the most public and scientific attention and also produced sufficient evidence to have overseas communities change their policies and standards.

Electrostatic  charges

Another area of concern is electrostatic charges.  I recently heard about a child whose severe asthma attacks stopped, after her nylon toy raccoon (5000 V!) was removed from her bed.

Non-conductive synthetic materials collect static charges, if they are not earthed adequately.  Especially strong charges can be found on plastic surfaces of cupboards, toys, carpets, curtains, paints, monitors, etc.  They increase with friction and low air humidity.

Magnetostatic effects

Magnetostatic effects are the consequence of the Earth's magnetic field, of magnetised steel or are caused by DC currents.  They can be measured with a compass or with a magnetometer. Artificial magnetostatic fields can be billions of times stronger than natural ones.

Action that can be taken -

1. Keep metal away from beds (e.g. inner spring mattresses)

2. Keep battery driven clocks approx. 50 cm away.
3. Don't sleep too close to loudspeakers, heaters, cars (garage), steel constructions.

Health  Symptoms

The symptoms of electro-stress differ individually, but generally speaking are -

• listlessness and a lack of energy

• poor immunity

• headache and migraines

• sleeplessness

• aching muscles

• bed wetting and behavioural problems in children

• heart attacks

• cancer

• and many more .................

The number of people with Chronic Fatigue and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome has been increasing in recent years and health practitioners have found that symptoms have decreased with reductions in the exposure to EMF forces and stresses.

EMFs are a factor most people do not recognise when they consider the stress factors of our environment and yet, such forces are unnatural to our body (just as are petrochemicals or nuclear radiation) and they have health consequences for many of us that are increasingly being recognised.

Taking measures to reduce such exposure to EMFs (ElectroMagnetic Fields) and EMR (ElectroMagnetic Radiation) are crucial to reducing and avoiding the risks of adverse health consequences.

Protection in the Bedroom

 Protection in the Workplace

When improving our environment, the bedroom needs most attention, as during the night our bodies must relax and recover.  The organism needs to be undisturbed, since this is the reason we loose our consciousness during this time.   Unfortunately, many of us are exposed to considerable stress by external unnatural forces and their inherent consciousness.  As a result, our organism is struggling to maintain its integrity.

To improve your sleeping situation, see ‘Action that can be taken’, above.  You may be surprised at the impact simple changes can have.  If in doubt, have the electro magnetic forces measured by a Building Biologist.  In some cases, when the installation of your home’s wiring turns out to be the problem, you may have to involve a specially trained electrician to remedy the situation.  The power connection to the house or the fuse box might have to be moved, or the earthing of the building needs to be reinstalled.

Homes need Healing

In Germany, health insurances have now started to pay for home inspections by Building Biologists, because they discovered that when the home is sick, it can be more expensive for them to pay continually for alleviating the symptoms in the patient, than addressing the actual cause of the disease:  The sick building environment.

Naturopaths and occasionally medical practitioners are discovering, that medication suddenly works, which did not have the expected impact before the healing of the home.

In most cases, changes in the home can be made with small structural and financial input and not just families, but also companies are enjoying the increase in well being and productivity.

For further information about healthy living environments and avoiding EMF stresses please take the opportunity to buy and read -

• "Healthy Home, Healthy Office", by Reinhard Kanuka-Fuchs

Available from http://www.wise-mens-web.com/book_hhho.html

Thanks, Reinhard.

Always being enhanced.

Copyright © 2005-2012 Tim Leitch.         Last modified: 13 Jul 2011
Any use of material from this site must include a clear link back to this website.

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